The present invention relates to a seat for a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, with a ventilating device for seat comfort.
Such a vehicle seat with a ventilating device comprises a ventilating insert located within a recess on the side of an upholstery core facing a person sitting in the seat. The one side of the ventilating insert facing toward the seated person is covered by the upholstery covering of the seating surface that is air-permeable, for example in the form of an air-permeable fabric or a perforated leather cover. A ventilator is provided that is at least partially inserted into an indentation in the side of the upholstery core facing the seated person. In order to ventilate the seating surface, this ventilator sucks in air from partial areas of the seating surface and provides air to partial areas of the seating surface. For this, at least a portion of the air flow between the ventilator and upholstery covering passes via an air-distribution layer of the ventilating insert.
A automobile seat with a ventilating device of this type is known, for example, from DE 10 2012 006 074 A1. The automobile seat described therein comprises a tub portion formed as a closed shell, into which upholstery is inserted, that is provided with an air-distribution layer facing the seated person that is covered by an air-permeable covering. The air-distribution layer possesses a uniform texture across its entire surface. The air-distribution layer is provided with air, flowing via flow channels in the upholstery, by means of a ventilator mounted on the underside of the upholstery, also within the tub portion. The distribution chamber mounted between the ventilator and the air-flow channels to distribute the air to the air-flow channels is limited on its underside by the floor of the tub portion. These air-flow channels extend through the upholstery and/or upholstery layer from the underside to the upper side. While the two outer areas are provided with air via the air-flow channels, air is sucked out from the central portion of the air-distribution layer by means of the ventilator. Air-flow direction from the ventilator may be reversed so that air is provided to the central portion of the seating surface by means of the ventilator and the air-distribution layer while air is sucked in via the outer area of the air-distribution layer and thus of the seating surface. The figures in this reference show that, due to the arrangement and structure of the air-distribution layer and of the channels within the upholstery, air is partially guided such that it is provided by the ventilator on the one side and is directly sucked out of the air-distribution layer without flowing out through the seating surface, namely in the manner of a circulating system, when the surface facing the seated person is completely covered.
DE 10 2012 011 398 A1 discloses a vehicle seat with a shell or tub-shaped supporting structure into which an upholstery element is inserted whose upper side is covered with an air-permeable covering. An air-distribution layer is located below the seat cover which, in turn, is covered on its side facing the upholstery covering by an optional comfort layer, that may be formed of perforated or reticulated foam, for example. An upholstery component is located below the air-distribution layer.
Air-flow channels extend through this upholstery component perpendicular to the seating surface. A ventilator is mounted in a central portion of the upholstery elements, and/or of the upholstery component, that sucks in air via the seat cover and the comfort layer, passing this air below the upholstery component, via an air-distribution chamber formed partially by the floor of the tub-shaped supporting structure, to the air-flow channels in the upholstery component. From there, the air is passed via the air-distribution layer to the aperture in the comfort layer, from which the air exits from the seat cover.